5 Ornamental Grasses That Can Add Interest To Your Garden

Flowers don't have to be the sole inhabitants of gardens, adding other types of plants like ornamental grasses can add interests to your garden as well as fill in some empty spots and set a beautiful background to show off your bright flowers.

Unlike lawn grass, ornamental grass is made to grow to its full height. Therefore you want to carefully choose the planting location so as to ensure your grasses do not obscure the view of shorter plants. Here are five interesting ornamental grasses that can add a unique twist to your garden.

Hardy Pampas Grass

This is a very tall grass that can grow up to 12 feet and produces white plumed flowers in September and October. It works great as a screen to screen out neighbors or other unsightly areas and grows in large clumps that can be 5 feet wide. It grows in zones five to nine and likes moist well-drained soils with a lot of sun. If it gets too wet, however this can cause damage in winter.

Annual Fountain Grass

this ornamental grass makes a great border but is only suitable for southern climates and grows best in zone nine. It grows in up to 4 feet and is a fast-growing plant. It comes In two colors green leaves and red leaved. You can dig the crowns up in fall and overwinter them indoors but make sure you get them before the first frost.

Japanese Silver Grass

This is commonly used in gardens and can grow from three to 6 feet in height. It grows in dense masses and Is a beautiful greenish silvery color with white pink or red flowers that bloom from late August until the first frost. These grasses grow in zones five to nine and can take a wide range of soils but prefer full sun and moist fertile soil.

Ribbon Grass

Ribbon grass is great to put in places where you can't seem to get anything else to grow but be careful because it can be rather invasive. It is hardy in zones four through eight and can grow to three or 4 feet producing white flowers from June to October. It can tolerate a wide range of soil conditions and will grow both in sun and shade.

Rabbits Tail Grass

This grass is an annual that is rather easy to grow from seed and produces white fuzzy flowers that look like tiny rabbit tails. It is often seen in dried floral arrangements and is best grown in clumps to get the best effect. Rabbit tale grass grows to 2 feet in height and prefers well-drained soil and lots of sun. there is also a dwarf variety that only grows to 6 inches.

There are many ornamental grasses to choose from and if you plan to add them to your garden should do a little bit of research to find out how tall they grow and how Invasive they can be before planting them. These grasses can be planned right in the ground or even putting containers for each unique exotic look that you won't find in just any garden.

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Lee Dobbins writes for grasses.garden-g8way.com where you can learn more about caring for and choosing lawn and ornamental grasses.

Home Composting: 10 Ways to Make it Successful for You

Gardening is a fun and invigorating activity. It keeps one busy and productive and brings the creativity and ingenuity in everyone. Gardening beautifies our homes but it also produces a good deal of yard waste. What better way to make this waste work out for you than to use it to enrich your garden through composting? You'd be making your soil more fertile for the health of your plants and at the same time, you'd be helping you community dispose of waste in the cleanest, cheapest and easiest manner. Here are some simple ways to make home composting successful for you:

1. Select the best compost material. Composting is simply simulating, if not imitatinag nature's natural process of breaking down dead matter and using it to replenish the soils nutrients. The best source would obviously be your own yard waste such as the dried leaves, straw and wood chips from your own vegetation. Experts recommend using browns and greens. Browns are rich in carbon while greens are rich in nitrogen.

2. Correct combination of compost materials. To make home composting successful, it is better to combine different compost materials that to use just one type. Combine some of the materials mentioned in the above tip and shred them into small pieces to make them easier to store in case you might want to pile them later.

3. Use of manure can also mean successful home composting. Manure is also a rich source of organic materials and may come from a variety of animals such as chicken, ducks, pigs, sheep, cow and goats. They are rich sources of nitrogen which plants need in building up their tissues. It is best to layer this manure with dried leaves and to not simply add it into the pile s that it is effectively decomposed and incorporated into the compost.

4. Cold composting. Cold composting is easy enough to do which involves piling all the materials you have chosen as compost materials. Put them up in a pile and give them time to decompose, after months or a year, you'd have a rich compost from the decomposition of these materials.

5. Hot composting is more systematic and laborious than cold composting but it works. The pile should be at least 3- feet deep and is made up of alternating materials. Water is sprinkled regularly on the pile keep it most for microbial growth and action. Once in a while, you may mix the pile to expose the lower layers to oxygen and promote further decomposition of organic matter. This should generate some heat in the compost as gases are produced with the breakdown of organic matter.

6. Stink management is also a key to successful home composting. If the pile is not aerated enough, it begins to give off a bad odor. To resolve this problem, turn and mix the pile once in a while. Do not allow your compost pile to simply stink up.

7. Keep moisture level up but not too much. Adding too much water will waterlog your microorganisms which will not be good for them too and will inhibit their decomposing activities.

8. If the pile is dry and is not heating up, one has to do the entire pile all over again and this time cut the materials into smaller pieces. Add enough water also to make the entire pile moist to stimulate microbial activity.

9. No matter how you are promoting the decomposition of organic waste, you compost should not be a breeding ground for flies and ants that can be sources of diseases and may hard your plants in the long run. Another key to successful home composting is management of these insects by covering the pile with dirt. It does not do if these insects would proliferate in your compost because they may do more harm than your compost may do you good.

10. For a successful home composting, keep your compost pile within your yard. It should be contained within a particular space so it does not look like a dumpsite of some sort. Building a simple fence may do the trick. Your enclosure should also allow some air to get in through the sides.

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Lee Dobbins writes for www.backyard-garden-and-patio.com where you can learn what you need to know about gardening and landscaping from growing beautiful flowers to patio decor.

Enhance Your Garden With Flowering Trees

Flowering trees can add beauty to your landscape and enhance your garden but when choosing trees you have a few things to consider.

First of all, you want to be sure to select a tree whose height will be a good match for the spot you are putting it in. If you want a rather short tree to compliment a corner garden, then you won't want to choose one that grows to 50 feet tall. On the other hand, if you want a large tree to spruce up your front yard, a dwarf tree will be ... well ... dwarfed by the rest of the landscape.

You'll also want to choose trees that thrive in your area and be aware of any pests or special maintenance. Your local garden center can help steer you in the right direction for maintenance and planting instructions. Here's some flowering trees you might want to consider:

Flowering Cherry Trees

There are several varieties of flowering cherry trees that grow from 12 feet to 50 feet tall. The Snow Fountain Flowering Cherry is great for smaller gardens and grows to only 12 feet in height. This tree has branches that droop to the ground with white flowers that bloom early in the season. A perfect tree to highlight a corner garden. The Pendula Weeping Japanese Flowering Cherry gets to about 20 feet in height and about 15 feet in width. It has pale pink flowers that bloom early in the season. The Kwanzan has in inverted cone shape and will get to about 30 feet tall X 20 feet wide. It has large pink flowers that bloom in mid season. The Kwanzan has orange foliage in fall. The Sargentii Flowering Cherry Tree is the tallest reaching 50 feet in height. It has pink flowers that bloom in clumps during the mid season.

Flowering Dogwood Tree

This is one of the most popular trees and has white flowers that bloom in spring. This tree, however is a bit picky about where you plant it and should be planted in a sheltered area, either on the side of the house or where it will be shaded by another tree.

Flowering Peach Tree

If you live in a Southern climate, then you are probably familier with this tree. This vase shaped tree grows to 25 feet and produces a lot of fruit. You must, however, plant it in the correct climate and soil. Avoid soil that is too wet or you will be disappointed with the outcome.

Flowering Pear Tree

The flowering pear tree can perk up any landscape and grows to about 45 feet producing lush yummy fruit as well as flowers. There are actually different types of pear trees that will grow to different sizes. They produce white buds in spring with either red or purple foliage in fall.

The Magnolia

This tree is another long time favorite and produces beautiful flowers that bloom in spring. If you live in the south you will want to consider the Southern Magnolia with it's fragrant white flowers. This variety can reach heights of 80 feet and shows red fruit in fall. In the north, you'll want to plant the saucer magnolia that has pinkish white flowers in early spring and grows to 30 feet.

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Lee Dobbins writes for www.backyard-garden-and-patio.com where you can learn more about gardening, garden flowers and garden design.

Beneficial Insects and Spiders

Although we focus on the insects that destroy our landscape plants and crops, these bad insects give a bad name to virtually all insect species which are actually good. They either do no harm, provide food for desirable species such as birds, or attack and kill the pests we don’t want. Here are ten common beneficial insects we should be aware of in our yards and gardens.

Lady beetles, also known as ladybugs and ladybird beetles, are perhaps the most well-known beneficial insect. The brightly colored, rounded beetles are often orange, but can be red, pink or yellow, and with or without spots. Both the larvae (the caterpillar stage before they turn into adult beetles) and the adults can eat hundreds of aphids in their lifetimes. They also eat insect eggs, mites, and soft-bodied insects such as mealybugs.

One of these, known as the Halloween lady beetle, enters homes in large numbers in the fall. Proper screening, patching cracks, and just vacuuming them up are simple controls.

Ground beetles range in size from a quarter inch to over one inch long, and are shiny brown, black, or bluish-black. They have long legs and antennae. Most feed at night on caterpillars such as armyworms, cutworms, and grubs. They may even eat small snails and slugs. A pair of adult ground beetles can eat over 300 gypsy moth caterpillars per year.

Praying mantids also are known by many, being up to three inches long, and with its enlarged front legs held out in front as if praying. They are not protected by state laws as some believe. In fact, they may do more harm than good, eating anything they can including honey bees, other beneficials, and even each other!

Dustywing adults are a quarter inch long, or less, with gray dusty-colored wings. Larvae are often mistaken for plant debris. Both stages of this insect feed on spider mites, aphids, and scale insects. They are considered one of the most uncommon, unrecognized, and under-appreciated of the beneficial insects.

Lacewings, both green and brown, are about three-fourths of an inch long as adults, with lacey wings. They are attracted to lights at night, and give off an odor when handled. Larvae are like small alligators, with sickle-shaped mouthparts (mandibles). Green lacewing larvae are called “aphid lions” from their large consumption of aphids, as well as mites and other small insects.

Hover flies, also known as syrphid or flower flies, closely resemble wasps and bees yet they don’t sting. One key difference is that they have only two wings. Larvae resemble tiny slugs, and often are found feeding in aphid colonies. Each larva can eat over 400 aphids. Attract adults with flowers that provide lots of nectar and pollen.

Predatory bugs feed on nectar and pollen too. They include several species. Big-eyed bugs are black and white with silvery wings and bulging eyes. They feed on most insects they can catch, including chinch bugs, small caterpillars, mites, and insect eggs. Minute pirate bugs are similar, with similar feeding. Damsel bugs are under a half-inch long, longer than wide, and
with long legs. They eat aphids, small caterpillars, leafhoppers, plant bugs, and insect eggs. Predaceous stink bugs differ from those that feed on plants, in having a distinct spike on each shoulder. They feed on over 100 types of insects.

Predatory wasps include ones that can sting us, and so we usually kill them on sight. Bald-faced hornet, yellow jackets, and paper wasps though, are important predators of caterpillars and similar soft-bodied insects. For this reason try and coexist with them, only destroying nests (using proper precautions) if they threaten people and pets.

Parasitic wasps are a large group of many species, most tiny (under an eighth inch long, so often overlooked) to an inch and a half long. They lay eggs inside hosts such as aphids and caterpillars. Once the larvae hatch, they consume the insect hosts. Swollen aphids, and caterpillars with white eggs on their back, are examples of this beneficial insect at work.

Parasitic flies, also known as tachinid flies, are a diverse group of over 1,300 species. They often resemble, so can be mistaken for, houseflies, bees, and wasps. Many lay eggs on hosts, the hatching maggots boring into the hosts and killing them through feeding. Hosts include caterpillars such as of the gypsy moth, beetles such as the Japanese, sawfly larvae, true bugs, and grasshoppers among others.

You can find diagrams of these insects, more information on them, and methods to help and not harm them, in the online Extension bulletin 7150 from the University of Maine.

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Common Fruit Tree Pests

Codling moth, plum curculio, and trunk borers are common pests on tree fruits in New England. Being ready for these if you have crabapples, flowering cherries, and fruit trees, and knowing cultural controls, will help you have better fruit with the least harm to the environment. A New England website of Extension services (pronewengland.org) provides some photos, information, and further resources on these and other garden problems.

Codling moth larvae (small caterpillar stage) hatch in June and early July. They seek newly developing fruit which they tunnel into, usually feeding in the center of the fruit and on the developing seeds. Look for piles of “sawdust” in July on the flower end of fruit. They feed on apples and pears, and even the related landscape plants quince, hawthorn, and crabapple. Affected fruits, if just with a bite on the surface, usually merely have a surface blemish. Fruits in which larvae have tunneled inside drop prematurely.

If using pesticides to control codling moth, follow label directions, especially in regard to proper timing of spring sprays. Biorational pesticides—those with a biological base—although better for the environment may be less effective. These include bacteria, insect growth regulators, viruses, and botanical based products. More on controls and timing can be found in a Cornell University leaflet (www.nysipm.cornell.edu/factsheets).

Plum curculio weevils lay eggs in spring on apple, pear, peach, plum, and cherry fruits once they are pea size. The eggs hatch into larvae which feed on fruit, causing them to drop. Larvae feed on seeds of pome fruits (such as apples) but not of stone fruits (such as cherries). If fruits remain, they show D-shaped scars or deformities. If spraying for other pests in the spring, this one usually will be controlled as well. Especially watch for this pest in spring on trees near hedgerows or woods where this pest may be present.

There are several species of trunk borers that kill fruit trees. Adult beetles lay eggs on lower parts of tree trunks in summer. The larvae that hatch tunnel throughout the trunk, causing structural damage and a site for wood rot diseases to enter. Especially susceptible are young, unsprayed trees, and those with close-fitting tree guards. Such guards, put on to deter mammal feeding, provide an ideal site for these borers to lay their eggs. Removing these guards in spring helps to lessen this pest. This insect, too, is usually controlled by sprays for other orchard pests so is most often found on wild or unsprayed trees.

One of the best controls for this pest is to keep trees healthy. If planting new ones, or near landscapes, keep them at least 300 yards away from other host plants for this pest. These include crabapples, hawthorns, and shadbush. Keeping brush and grass mowed and away from trunks allows natural predators such as woodpeckers and parasitic wasps to find these pests.

Other potentially serious pests of tree fruits include various mites, aphids, and San Jose scale. More on all these pests, and controls, can be found at the above Cornell factsheet website.

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Checking Viburnums and Other April Gardening Tips

Checking viburnum shrubs for leaf beetle eggs, preparing flower planters, and potting dahlia tubers are some of the garden tips for this month.

If your viburnums had problems with viburnum leaf beetles last summer, now is the time to inspect your plants closely for egg-laying sites on the bark. Look for tiny, brownish black bumps on your twigs. These are the coverings over holes in which the eggs are laid. Prune these infested twigs as soon as possible because the eggs will be hatching soon and the young larvae will begin feeding on new foliage.

Check strawberry plants twice a week for signs of new growth. As soon as you see sprouts, remove the hay or straw mulch and spread it in the rows to help control weeds. A topdressing of an inch or two of compost will give plants a boost.

It's a good idea to test your soil every few years to determine its nutrient status and pH (acidity/alkalinity). Your state extension service can provide a reasonably priced test, and along with the results you'll get recommendations for improving the soil. The proper soil pH is especially important for plant health.

When planting large containers for the deck or patio, save on soil by creating a false bottom. Most of the plants you'll use don't need more than about a foot of soil depth for their roots, so put some foam packing peanuts in the very bottom, then cover with landscape fabric or a piece of cardboard cut to fit to keep the soil from sifting around the peanuts. Or use small plastic pots to take up some space before filling the planter with soil.

Get flowers sooner by potting up dahlia tubers and growing them indoors until it's warm enough to plant them outside. Pinch the growing tips when they get six inches tall to keep the growth short and stocky for easier transplanting into the garden.

To get a head-start on fresh greens, sow seeds in a large, shallow container. Keep the container outside during the day and bring it in at night if the temperatures dip below freezing, or protect it in a cold frame.

Don’t be in too much of a rush to prune roses and other woody perennials. If butterfly bush has died to the ground, cut the dead stems to the ground. Otherwise just shorten them by about one third. Cut back Russian sage, rue, and artemisias to about 8 to 12 inches from the ground. Don't prune lavender until new growth appears, and then just shorten the stems by about one-third. Heather should be lightly pruned to remove the old flowers and the tips of the shoots, but don't cut back to brown wood, stay in the green.

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Checked out Perry’s Perennial Pages lately? www.uvm.edu/~pass/perry